“Rutgers University has become the first of New Jersey’s institutions of higher education to formally take action against the rising cost of textbooks by launching the Open and Affordable Textbook Project (OAT). The initiative includes a grant program administered by Rutgers University Libraries that will give incentives to faculty or department groups that replace a traditional textbook with a free, low-cost or open alternative. This program has the potential to save students across the university as much as $500,000 within its first year.” (via (Rutgers University)

Comments Off on Rutgers University Libraries Launch Open and Affordable Textbook Project to Provide Relief for Soaring Textbook Costs

September 30, 2016Comments Off on Rutgers University Libraries Launch Open and Affordable Textbook Project to Provide Relief for Soaring Textbook CostsRutgers, Textbooks

“The sticker shock of buying college textbooks is a rite of passage for new and returning students at the beginning of each semester at Rutgers University. According to NJPIRG, students at New Jersey’s flagship university pay an average of $1500.00 for textbooks each year, nearly 15% more than the national average $1300.00. These costs force students to make tough decisions: seven out of ten report that they skip required textbooks due to cost and nearly 60% wait for financial aid to pay for textbooks.” (via Rutgers University Libraries)

Comments Off on Rutgers University Libraries Launch Open and Affordable Textbook Project to Provide Relief for Soaring Textbook Costs

September 21, 2016Comments Off on Rutgers University Libraries Launch Open and Affordable Textbook Project to Provide Relief for Soaring Textbook CostsRutgers, Textbooks

“If there’s such a thing as a typical librarian, it would not be Lilia Pavlovsky. Pavlovsky, an assistant professor and lecturer at Rutgers’ School of Communication and Information, is a semi-retired Ukrainian folk singer who has worked on Wall Street, harvested potatoes and acted off-Broadway. But her unorthodox career path led Pavlovsky to the top of her field. Last fall, she won the Library Journal Teaching Award after being nominated by students and colleagues.

In classes like “Human Information Behavior,” Pavlovsky explores how and why people seek information and the many different ways it can be used in the digital age.”